Skinner and Experiment, Essay Example

The human behavior control has been reduced to the punishments. The human behavior has been reducing to some rewards but this depends on the way one has been staying. The neurological state makes or determines the final behavior of the individual or person which definitely reduces to the product of the punishment or even rewards.  If a conduct is followed by aversive stimulus results or gives out a decreased probability of that same behavior occurring later in the future. Aversive stimulus is opposite of the reinforcing stimulus. This means that if a baby is spark for doing a certain behavior, then he will do it less next time. This is usually referred to as negative reinforcement. If a behavior is followed by the removal of the aversive stimulus, it results to an increased probability of it occurring again in the future (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2000).

The behaviorism has not yet disappeared. The robust behaviors elements now survive in laboratory based animal learning theory and behavior therapy. The behaviorist themes do survive in functionalism which is the approach to mind. The behavior can easily be explained without referring to the non behavioral mental activity like the interpretative, representational or cognitive. According to Skinner, the behavior can be explained by reference to its functional relation or even co-relation to the environment (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2000).

I agree with Skinner that the human beings behavior is very much related to the environment he is in. I believe that the human beings behavior can be related to the external environment he is in. I also believe that human’s behavior cannot be accounted for while one is inside the human but one has to know the outside environment or forces that are operating its behavior. Like Skinner, I also believe that the external variables are the behaviors function. Skinner also says that the first link (environmental stimuli) does not lawfully determine the second (neurological) link or even the third (behavior) link by the second link, but the first and the third links must be related lawfully. Information that is valid about the second link can give clear information on this relationship although it cannot change it (Lauren, 2005).

I believe that the character and the occurrence of the human behavior do not primarily depend on the history although that is also a factor, but the environment holds or is very much related to the individual behavior. I disagree with skinner where by he is too much restrictive to the neurophysiological mechanism towards the control of the behavior. I believe that the brain or the central nervous systems that encode whatever the representational content are in the environment (Lauren, 2005).

The Skinner’s lesson we learn that although the environment determines the behavior of the person, the neural activities to some extent also determine the behavior of the human being beings. Skinner also supports that the brain structure like the neurobiology and neurochemistry assist to some extent in explaining the human behavior although it does not replace the environmental contingencies (Celia, 2007).

We learn from the Skinner that, a behavior that is followed by aversive stimulus usually results to a decreased probability of the same behavior occurring later in the future. We also learn that if a behavior is followed by removal of the aversive stimulus, it results in an increased probability of the same behavior occurring in the future. This is a very clear indication of that the human behavior mainly depends on the environment as well as other factors.

References

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2000, May). Behaviorism. Retrieved Dec 14, 2009, from      http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/behaviorism/#7

Lauren, S. (2005). Opening Skinner’s Box: Great Psychological Experiment of the Twentieth Century. London: W.W. Norton Press.

Celia M. (1987). B.F. Skinner: Consensus and Controversy. New York: Routledge Ltd.